NBCThe Strikers All Stars, a hip-hop dance group from Florida, impressed the crowd and the judges during the Chicago auditions of 'America's Got Talent,' which aired last night on NBC.

Howie Mandel is terrified of germs. And he’s not afraid to admit it.

In fact, the comic-actor, who now serves as a judge on "America's Got Talent," wrote a book about his phobia and he refuses to shake hands with anyone – even the admiring fans who greet him at the start of every episode of the popular NBC reality show.

So, it wasn’t too surprising to see Mandel react the way he did during the Chicago auditions that aired last night, when Zach Carty, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania guy, promised to do “a very unique act that will surprise, astound and disgust the audience.”

He stuffed a cotton swab up his nose to try to sneeze with his eyes open.

The young auto detailer disgusted Mandel so much that the bald germaphobe pressed his X buzzer and walked away, far back into the theater to avoid getting hit with any particles from Carty’s nose. That was before Carty even started his routine.

Then Mandel urged the audience to turn around to avoid getting hit with any germs.
Anyway, Carty couldn’t get out a sneeze and ended up with three red X’s before he could finish his act.

“That’s snot talent,” Mandel said half-seriously. “H1N1.”

“I have never been more disgusted in my life,” he later added. ”Airborne illnesses, people. This is not a talent. It is flu season. This is not how you welcome a new judge to ‘America’s Got Talent.’ ”

Yes, just like all the other audition cities, Chicago had its share of goofballs trying out for the show. It also had some of the better acts we’ve seen this entire season.

STRONG CHICAGO ACTS

NBCDebra Romer, a pretty waitress who auditioned for 'America's Got Talent' in Chicago, sang well despite her stage fright.

• Debra Romer, a 21-year-old student, waitress and singer from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who said her dream is “to play music, pay my bills, not wait tables.”
She was visibly nervous but sounded angelic as she sang Sarah McLachlan’s “In the Arms of an Angel.”

While Howie Mandel felt Romer’s voice was held back by fear, Piers Morgan disagreed, saying he sensed “a certain kind of innocence and vulnerability, which I find really appealing.”

Sharon Osbourne liked Romer’s style but told her she needs to show more confidence on stage. Romer earned two “yes” votes, enough to advance to the next round.

• The Strikers All Stars, a talented, acrobatic hip-hop dance group composed of eight friends who met at Florida A&M University.

• Carlos Aponte, a 24-year-old singer from Puerto Rico who sang Andrea Bocelli’s “Il Mare Calmo Della Sera” in a booming operatic voice. He drew a standing ovation from the judges and the crowd, and Howie Mandel told him his life was about to change.

Mandel called his performance “one of those unexpected, fantastic moments,” and Piers Morgan told Aponte his singing gave him goosebumps. Even though Aponte is still learning English and didn’t understand Morgan’s words, he knew it was a compliment.

• NU Covenant, a gospel singing quartet that sang an energetic “Shout.”
“You make me want to go to church,” said an admiring Sharon Osbourne.

• Naishon Jones, an 18-year-old dancer with some awesome moon walks and slow-motion moves. (He drew lots of screams from the females in the crowd when Sharon Osbourne asked to see the tattoos that were visible under his tank top, which he willingly removed.)

• Polina Volchek, a 24-year-old performance artist who wowed the crowd with her dazzling hula-hoop tricks. Mandel quipped she was “like Hooters on steroids,” while Morgan said, “She was magnificent -- she was absolutely magnificent.”

(No one mentioned that Volchek also auditioned for the show during Season 3.)

• The Gentlemen of Nuco, a group of young musicians who hope to “break the stereotype of classical music.” Using mostly violins and cellos, they performed a unique, and interesting, rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s ”Since U Been Gone.

• John Beatty, a strongman who works as a registered nurse in an operating room. On stage, he crushes a frying pan and bends a large nail with his bare hands. He also drives a nail through a license plate and a board with his fist.

CHICAGO DUDS

• The Spellbinder, a 50-year-old Chicago guy who claims to be a professional illusionist. His dancing handkerchief trick didn’t dazzle any of the three judges.

TONIGHT at 9 p.m. on NBC. Expect to see pogo stick tricks, belly dancers, a tiny dancer, sumo wrestlers and more open auditions that were taped in Chicago. (A rerun of last night's episode airs at 8 p.m. tonight.)

STRONG RATINGS

“America’s Got Talent” continues to deliver strong ratings for NBC.

Last week's two audition episodes ranked number 1 and number 2 in the weekly primetime ratings among adults 18 to 49 and also among total television viewers, NBC reported yesterday.

In terms of actual numbers, last Wednesday's episode of “America’s Got Talent” drew a 3.5 rating among adults 18 to 49 and 12.4 million viewers overall, making it the number 1 primetime television program of the week in both adults 18 to 49 and total viewers, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

Last Tuesday's episode of “America’s Got Talent” drew a 3.4 rating among adults 18 to 49 and 11.7 million viewers overall, making it the number 2 program of the week in both categories. NBC said last Tuesday’s “AGT” ratings indicated "broad appeal by simultaneously ranking number 1 among all programs last week among two diverse demographic groups: Adults 25 to 54 and teens 12 to 17."

CHICAGO FLASHBACK

Here’s an interesting flashback to the Chicago auditions from 2007.

What makes this interesting? Piers Morgan buzzes a Missouri singer named Jason Pritchett – who ended up making it all the way to the final eight on Season 2 of “America’s Got Talent.”

Len Melisurgo is a local news editor at The Star-Ledger and a self-professed reality TV addict. He spent many sleepless nights blogging about Season 9 of "American Idol" during the past few months, and he'll be doing the same as he follows Season 5 of "America's Got Talent."

NBCThese climbing-wall dancers had the crowd roaring with approval during the Portland auditions of 'America's Got Talent.'